“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” Psalm 27:1.
For years I held the belief that Jesus saved me by giving me eternal life – if He wanted to. It was like the state lottery. I kept throwing the dice and maybe God would give me eternal life.
Then I was led to believe that eternal life, salvation, was free (grace) to all and Jesus just gave it to everyone no matter what you did. Then I experienced the truth through trials and tribulations. The truth set me free so that I know what Jesus wants from me and how I can attain His desire for me.
What you’re about to read will shock you. If you love the Lord and love His truth, it will bring you great joy and freedom. If you are playing the “Christian” church game and pretending you have eternal life; you will not want to accept the truth. The majority of eyes are blind. The majority of ears are deaf. Very few people will be saved. This section will give you the truth so you will know why.
“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3, 4. Jesus wants you to be eternally saved, but He cannot save you eternally. Jesus wants you to come to the knowledge of truth, but He cannot make you come to it.
There are those who believe that Jesus will save them eternally and give them eternal life no matter what they do. Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. But Jesus can’t save you eternally with a magic wand. If He could save you, then all would be saved since He wants all to be saved. But He can’t save one sinner who refuses to come to the knowledge of the truth and live it.
You see my friend, Jesus is our savior from harm, danger, hurt, misfortune, evil, car accidents, etc. But He cannot save us eternally. In the above text, Psalm 18:2, it talks about Jesus as our Savior. But we must read so as to find out what He saves us from. In verse three it tells us, “my enemies.” David understood that God saved him from “evil men”. Psalm 27:2. He understood the fullness and the limits of God’s salvation. In order for you to get to heaven you also must understand.
“Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back upon them what they deserve.” Psalm 28:4. Jesus says that when He comes He will come and bring His “reward with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” Revelation 22:12.
As we are learning, we are saved eternally by our works. We earn our destiny. “The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” “Each person was judged according to what he had done.” Revelation 20:12, 13.
Jesus said, “This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous.” Matthew 13:49. Either God is unjust and arbitrary by deciding who gets into heaven and who does not or He is just and decides on our deeds (works). If He is just He must reward each person according to his own works. If He does this, then eternal salvation and eternal life are no longer “free” but are earned rewards. It is freely offered (grace), but you must work (faith) for the free gift. The “free” part actually originally referred to money, not effort. You can not buy your eternal life. Centuries later it took on the concept of “there is nothing you can do for eternal life”. How sad. You have been lied to.
Through this prison ministry, I learned that inmates understand this principle very well. There are privileges that each inmate can earn. To earn the privilege, an inmate has to comply with certain rules and conditions. As long as he continues in these conditions, the privileges were given to him free of charge. But if an inmate broke these conditions the privileges were revoked.
The same applies in the real world. If you comply with the rules and conditions of the Department of Motor Vehicles, you are granted the privilege of a driver’s license. If you violate the condition, the privilege can be revoked.
The state legislature voted and opened the way for people to gain a driver’s license. They made it possible for people to own them. But it is up to the individual to comply with the rules and conditions to get one. It is not up to the state legislature to give you one.
God can save you and be your Savior physically, but not eternally. He can raise the dead, open the eyes of the blind, and let the deaf hear. He can walk on water and save you from drowning. He can keep you from harm in a car accident or illness and disease. But only you can save yourself eternally.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He has opened the way for eternal life. He has made the provision for you to gain eternal life. This is called “justification”. But you must earn it, “according to what he has done.” In order for you to get the life Jesus offers, you must go through His way by believing in His truth. If you refuse or violate His way, or truth, you cannot have His eternal life. Your choice! I do not care what your church teaches or what you believe. I only care that you believe what Jesus is teaching. You must obey Jesus and Jesus only!
“This day I call heaven and earth as witness against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God. Listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life.” Deuteronomy 30:19, 20. “The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul … walk in all His ways.” Deuteronomy 26:16, 17.
Choose you this day! Choice. It is your choice. God opened the way. He provided the plan. He gave His life. He even provides the power to obey and walk in all His way and keep His truth. But only you can open the door of your heart. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20. Please let that power dwell inside you to work with your will to obey all His Ten Commandments. Eternal life is there. All you have to do is go get it. Don’t wait for it to come to you, it is already waiting. Don’t wait until God is ready, He’s ready. Don’t put it off or make excuses for sin – there are no excuses. “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength!” Philippians 4:13.
Step out of darkness and into His marvelous Way. Accept His truth and have eternal life. “Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does (work) the will of My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. Your choice. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37. This book is as a prophet to you. Are you listening? Or will you “stone” this book?
Not willing? How sad. Are you willing to earn the eternal life Jesus is offering you? Are you willing to pick up your cross and follow Jesus? Are you willing to be obedient to the truth so when Jesus comes He can give you what you have earned – your reward of eternal life? Or will He have to give you the other reward you have earned: eternal death? Your choice. Are you ready to “work out your salvation?” Philippians 2:12. That is the only way you can get to heaven.
The devil has opened a broad way for you to follow. You have to work to be on it. You must be a doer of evil to walk on the broad way. Matthew 7:23. If you want to know how to walk on the broad way, just watch TV, read the worldly reading material, listen to the music of the world and do what the crowd does.
Jesus has also opened up a Way for traveling. But it is a narrow way. Only those who do righteousness will be found on it. They must work to stay on that narrow Way. Matthew 7:21, 22. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25 “Do not My words do good to him whose ways are upright?” Micah 2:7.
If you want to get to heaven and walk the Spirit filled life, you must follow the example of Jesus Christ. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” 1 Peter 2:21, 22.
“This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk (work) as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:5, 6. The choice is yours. You must work at one or the other. “Believing” won’t get you into Heaven. Your work will determine your reward. “Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:2.